August 17, 2011 - Oxford Village officials appear to be on-board with the idea of obtaining a speed sign to aid the police department's enforcement efforts, but they would rather see grant money pay for it as opposed to local tax dollars.

"I won't let this die," promised Police Chief Mike Neymanowski at last week's council meeting. "We'll get a speed sign."

Neymanowski presented three different speed signs by three different manufacturers ranging in price from $3,334 to $4,460.

All three signs are designed to measure the speed of passing vehicles, then display it to drivers. They also have the capability to collect data such as vehicle counts and how fast each motorist was travelling.

Based on its low price and "manageable" weight of 25 pounds, Neymanowski recommended the village purchase a $3,334 portable sign made by Traffic Logix Inc., a company based in Spring Valley, New York.

The chief indicated he's still in the process of researching and applying for grants to pay for one or two signs. He told council he applied for a grant from State Farm Insurance, but was rejected.

Neymanowski suggested the village "could buy (a sign) now and get another one through the grant later on."

Given the village's tight financial situation and the fact a speed sign wasn't included in this year's police budget, council felt it best to wait and let the chief continue exploring grant options.

"I would hate to be quick on this," said Councilman Tony Albensi.

Last month, the police department had the opportunity to borrow a sign made by All Traffic Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based company, and test it out on some of the village's busier streets.

Village President Teri Stiles was particularly interested in the speed data collected regarding traffic headed south on N. Glaspie St., which is her street.

"These numbers are astounding," she said. "I just could not believe what I was reading."

On July 29, the speed sign recorded 3,065 vehicles driving past it.

The speed limit in that residential area is 25 mph as drivers head south into the village from the township.

The average of the recorded speeds was 21 mph with the high speed being 59 mph and low speed being 5 mph.

Throughout her tenure on council, Stiles has been a passionate and vocal advocate for slowing traffic down on N. Glaspie St. Residents along that street frequently complain about drivers, particularly Oxford High School students, who they claim come speeding into the village.

Albensi noted his interpretation of the numbers is most people aren't speeding on N. Glaspie St. "It looks like the majority of people are doing the speed limit," he said. "I don't want to alarm people."

Of the 3,065 vehicles counted on July 29, a total of 158 were recorded travelling 36 mph or above.

Of those, 95 in the 36-40 mph range; 43 were 41-45mph; 15 were 46-50 mph; three were 51-55 mph; and two were clocked at 56-60 mph.

"I realize that there's going to be speeders," Albensi said. "That's just the way it is unfortunately."

It should be noted that these traffic and speed measurements were conducted on a summer day when school is not in session.

Vehicle counts and speed measurements were also taken for eastbound traffic on W. Burdick St. near West St. The speed limit in that area is 25 mph.

Between Aug. 2-4, a total of 3,599 vehicles were counted heading east into the village, the average speed of which was 25 mph. A high speed of 48 mph was clocked as well as a low speed of 5 mph.

Of the 3,599 vehicles counted during that period, 47 were traveling at a rate of 36 mph and above.

CJ Carnacchio is editor for The Oxford Leader. He lives in the Village of Oxford with his wife Connie and daughter Larissa. When he's not busy working on the newspaper, he enjoys cigars/pipes, Martinis/Scotch, hunting and fishing.